SEABROOK, Texas—A huge explosion rocked a plant near Seabrook Wednesday.
It happened around 8:45 a.m. at American Acryl, located in the 12100 block of Port Road at Highway 146 in Pasadena.
At least two people were hurt in the explosion. They are being treated at Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital and were last reported in good condition.
A thick, black cloud of smoke was visible for miles over the area. Fire was still burning at the plant about an hour after the blast, but crews appeared to be getting it under control.
Shelter-in-place orders were issued for Seabrook, League City and Kemah via automated messages from city officials. They were later lifted.
Clear Creek ISD placed all schools south of Seabrook and east of I-45 under a shelter-in-place after the explosion. That order was lifted around 11 a.m.
Viewers in Bacliff, San Leon, Clear Lake, Dickinson, La Marque, Texas City, League City, Seabrook and Friendswood all reported hearing and feeling the blast.
"The explosion was strong enough to shake our building. We are located in Baytown by the Hwy 99 and FM 1405 intersection," one viewer e-mail read.
"FYI-I live in League City (Hwy96 near 146) and I felt and heard the explosion from there. It was loud and clear. Thought it was a home explosion b/c it sounded so close," another viewer reported.
"I’m directly south of the plant. I had just sat down at my computer, by a north window, when I heard the BOOM then felt the percussion," a viewer reported.
"This explosion took place just around the corner from our office. It violently shook our building. Thinking it was a car that had ran into the building, we ran outside to see the 1st plume of smoke from this explosion," viewer Jacob Varisco said in an e-mail.
It was unclear what caused the explosion.
A viewer in Seabrook reported a chemical smell permeating the air around 9:40 a.m.
The American Acryl plant makes acrylic acid, a building block for plastics.
A Shoreacres official said the chemical that was released was toluene.
According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, toluene is a respiratory tract irritant. It’s described as clear and colorless and has a distinctive smell.
The ATSDR said toluene can affect the nervous system. In low to moderate levels, it can cause tiredness, confusion, weakness, memory loss, nausea, intoxication, loss of appetite, loss of hearing and color vision loss. The symptoms usually stop as soon as exposure ends.
High levels of toluene can affect the kidneys, and inhaling high levels in a short time can cause unconsciousness and even death, the ATSDR said.
The effects of toluene in children are similar to those seen in adults.
Check back for more information as this story develops.
